It's been really chilly lately with a north wind so Eric and I were geared up. Here we're heading to the free road with Frank and Sandi behind in the Jeep.
We traveled the free road to the Mazatlan bypass, got off at the airport toll booth, back on the free road and then a left turn to El Recodo.
There is a paving project going on on Mex 15 near Urias and there was a huge amount of truck traffic part of the way. Here you can see a yard with workers constructing metal rebar cages for bridge pilings.
Lots of little towns as we traveled along and behind that fence is a school.
Big trucks coming and going full of sand and gravel. We were worried there was construction up ahead but it finally petered out after we passed all the construction pits.
One of the little towns had an empanada stand at the edge of the road. Eric had looked it up and when he spotted it he stopped. Empanadas are just a pocket of either bread or pastry with a filling.
There were two young ladies doing the selling and it took a bit to find out what they were stuffed with. We bought pineapple filling but there was also pumpkin or squash and something else. They smelled delicious and Eric has been eating them for breakfast. You can see the brick oven.
A Pacifico beer store...our favorite!
Big, big trucks.
The Jeep's still there. In early years it was a little blue one.
Big concrete pilings.
It'll take big machinery to move those.
And now....chicken barns. Chicken is big on the barbecue in Mexico.
Way in the distance there is a huge sand pit.
The little town of Tecomate.
Next up El Recodo and lunch.
We ate at El Pueblita last time but not this time. The gates were closed anyway
A pretty little town and quiet on a Wednesday afternoon.
A town square. I might mention that it was 22C with a cold wind when we left Mazatlan and here it was 31C and no wind! Lovely and warm and we'd already pealed off a couple of layers.
Every little town has a colorful sign.
La Palmita for lunch!
This is an old photo that Frank took many, many years ago a d the building is no longer green.
The cook and her helper in the kitchen. Lots of take out here so maybe this guy is ordering. The lady in the kitchen was chatting and giving orders to everyone!
Us with the owner of the restaurant. She came to the table with a huge bowl of beef machaca or shredded beef and suggested we all have beef tacos for lunch. It smelled good!
A fairly extensive menu and the Google ratings were 5 for this restaurant.
Frank, Sandi and I had the beef tacos and Eric ordered marlin which he said was a bit dry. Probably because it had been frozen. We had a big discussion about what kind of taco we wanted dorado or ...? Dorado is a fish but since the fish is golden it also means golden or lightly fried. We settled on suave...or soft. They had no English and our Spanish is lousy but we managed.
The beef tacos were good and there was a few different sauces to add.
There were some guys sitting behind Frank and one of them said " Good Morning" when he came in. After a while he came to our table and asked where we were from. Sandi said Iowa,USA and I said Canada. Immediately he perked up and said " I love Canada, I love how you think!" Especially migration. He has a niece in Medicine Hat, Alberta and he had visited her one summer. I said it would have been hot and he laughed and said " Not like here! I showed him on maps where we live and he was really interested. He knew where Vancouver was. He really wanted to stay and chat but he had to get back to work. Interesting guy!
Bye Bye....we'll see you again. A really nice restaurant with good food. We'll be back!
Time to hit the road. We left and went on the circuitous route home through La Noria. Very little traffic and interesting things to see.
Really quiet on the street.
Frank and Sandi are right behind us.
There is lots of farming in this area and this is a really old tractor.
Heading out of town.
There we are!
Turn right here and you go Veranos where they have the zip line. We did that when we first came to Mazatlan.
Luckily there isn't much traffic on this road as this little guy has escaped.
Picking chilies or tomatoes?
Do you see a Coatimundi? Neither do I! It ran across the road and I must have missed the shot although he was the same color as the rocks!
Eric comes up this way from the La Noria end of the road and said there were always pigs all over the road.
He wasn't kidding...they were everywhere. You could see where they lived but they are free range. I wonder how many end up on someones barbecue. A bucket of feed and they'd be easy to catch.
Maybe not these ones...a bit big.
Up ahead is the large lake formed by the Picacho dam on the Presidio river.
Coming into San Marcos. The town was at the edge of the river but they were relocated when the dam was built.
I always think clothes handing on the line are so interesting! Just me I guess.
Lots of pretty little places with beautiful flowers.
To the right San Marcos and we took a drive through.
Big, wide paved street with a huge drainage ditch in the middle.
The La Noria ...San Marcos bus. Maybe he was having a siesta!
Looks pretty nice. Eric says some of the people still live down by the water.
A local hardware store.
Onward to La Noria and there are new agave plantations everywhere.
A nice quiet highway and everyone waves as they drive by.
Two cowboys on horses with their dog and we slowed right down when we passed them. Beautiful horses!
The church in La Noria.
It's a bit confusing when you come in from the east and you have to wind your way through town.
That's the big hotel right in the middle of town where we've eaten before.
Lovely plantings in this yard.
More agave and this is getting closer to the tequila factory.
Cock fighting is supposed to be illegal but each of those little houses has a rooster chained to it.
Out to Mex 15 or the free road and home.
Straight across is El Habal.
That's us...turn left.
The bridge over Mex 15 D or the toll road. This is the bridge that they spent all of last winter rebuilding.
Way up ahead is the Riu which always my landmark photo on our return.
Frank and Sandi right behind us.
This photo was taken about 15years ago in the restaurant El Palmito in El Recodo. Frank found it on his phone and showed the ladies in the restaurant. There was also a guy in the restaurant who took a picture of the picture. They were all quite interested in the old photos. From the left Frank, Sandi, Dennis ( Marilyn was sick and didn't come) Connie and Manny.
Our route to El Recodo and then we traveled the light blue line all the way to La Noria and our return home. A great day and good lunch. Eric just finished his last empanada for breakfast this morning!
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